Il Fenomeno Draft - SF - Gio vs. Šjor Bepo

[Invictus]

Career peak - 3 years. Which means 3 seasons so in a formation picture you will put Gerd Muller(71-74) which means from season 71/72 until the season 73/74, summer tournaments will be accounted on either side so summer of 71 before the season and summer of 74 after the season goes into evaluation.

Good luck @Gio @Šjor Bepo


TEAM GIO

ON THE BALL:

The gameplan revolves around getting Best, Puskas, Gullit and Maradona onto the ball in dangerous positions to run at Sjor's defence. . On the flanks the trickery of Best is as good as it gets and he is complemented in style by the athleticism and directness of Gullit, who, like Puskas, will relish attacking Best's deliveries. Both players too will seek out the service provided by the driving Maradona through the heart of Sjor's team.

OFF THE BALL:

Defensively I expect solid work rate from the front through Gullit and Best with Tardelli and Tigana squeezing space to limit the service to Sjor's front two. Gullit will drop into the midfield effort to make best use of his supreme athleticism and all-round game. Defending Di Stefano requires some thought and the double pivot of Tardelli and Tigana will help to shut down the areas in which they could potentially be dangerous. The collective effort should match and cancel out the work rate in Sjor's midfield four.

Beckenbauer moves to defence to match up to where Sjor is strongest and will provide quality and control from the back. At left-back Nilton Santos offers class on the ball and defensive acumen off it. On the right McGrain is defensively rock solid and will feed the ball early up to Gullit. Both full-backs can tuck inside to deal with Sjor's narrow attacking threat - Nilton a former LCB in a three, then recognised as part of the Team of the Tournament in the 1954 World Cup. In the middle Wright's 2nd place in the Ballon D'Or has only been matched by the class of Beckenbauer, Baresi, Facchetti, Sammer and Cannavaro. Together with Beckenbauer he forms a natural partnership.

KEY POINTS:

• Best and Maradona running in behind Sjor's midfield will create major problems. Best leads a strong left flank with Nilton Santos to maximise his potential to cause havoc. Maradona has the right types of hard-working team-mates who were so formidable fetching and carrying for Platini in the 1980s.
• Puskas peeling onto his favoured left foot and into the channel between Belodedici and Lahm is another potential route to goal.

TEAM ŠJOR BEPO

Tactics

Could blabber around myself but why bother when you have everything already explained here:
https://medium.com/@Mase159/sheffie...t-of-the-overlapping-centre-back-aed8c1110fe0


Player Suitability

Belodedici - good defender, class on the ball, and his biggest quality is that he was an absolutely top defensive organizer which should be a huge asset here given the style of play

Maldini - no words needed, pretty much in his best position. Given the fact that his peak was in a back 4 as a fullback and the fact he is great(for a CB) on the ball makes him a perfect fit.

Lahm - left wing option, have few question marks over the setup, can assure you Lahm is nowhere near them. Insanely good defender, at his peak i watched him pretty much every big game and every time he played in almost like robotic perfection. Consistency like no other, great football brain and obviously a huge weapon on the overlap considering the ability on the ball and already mentioned football brain.

Demyanenko/Gemmell - both great 2 way players with great use of the ball and attacking threat

Kante - setup made for him, lot of closing down, pressing, harassing opposition players while in possession he can play the simple game

Robson - using a more mature version this time, tactically and technically more astute and while he lost a goal threat one thing he didnt lost is his desire and legs, could still run and press like he was in his teens. His job is to sit in front of the defence, provide cover and focus mostly on offensive threats of the opposition team. In possession he sits as the deepest one and moves the ball around.

Iniesta - i just rate him insanely high that even in a setup that isnt more natural for him id take him over 90% of the greats. Offensive wise i have zero question-marks, United often play nice brand of football, specially in final third where they use combinations and one, two touch football to create space on the wing and for strikers so Iniesta will shine there. Concerns are defensive wise as this is pretty much the opposite of what he played all his career. I have him as probably most hardworking number 10 ever and given the selfless character he has he should adopt well to a new system but id understand if people have issues with it.

Di Stefano - floating striker, pretty much a free role in possession while in the defensive phase he actively defends with the whole group. Both phases suit him perfectly.

Pele - with freeing up space in the final third it allows me to pair up a more complete version of Pele with Di Stefano, he was still first and foremost a striker but he also liked to drop a bit deeper and combine with others, given the fact both Pele and Don are a ball sharing players that work well with other great players/playmakers and the fact they have a whole forward line for them with the help of the most selfless number 10 ever in Iniesta, it should work and if it works its gonna be magic.
Big reason why i opted for this version is that he developed a tactical nous and his defensive game went up a notch from just being a presser to a complete defender from the front.


Conclusion

Team built to work as a unit both offensive and defensive wise with 10 hardwoking, defensively intelligent players. On the ball everything was made to get the best out of every player.
Gio has better players and bigger names but names dont win football matches, teams do and as a team i feel i have a more compact one with at worst second best keeper in football history.

 

[Moby]

That Gio team.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

pretty much what moby said, its an insane team.
Two things i "dont like" and thats the fact Beckenbauer isnt really in the best possible position to shine, his defences were pretty much built around him, almost like an Total Football defence with him as a trigger so everyone else shaped how he dictatet, dont really buy that with this defence. Wright isnt that guy(was usually the one that lead his defences) and fullbacks would have to go up and offer width as its a pretty central based attack with all players liking the central zones.

Attack is insane, though IMO one out of Maradona, Best and Puskas is a surplus and its Best in my opinion. Cant really see a great chemistry with Maradona and a much lesser player then Best would improve this team as a team.

Edit: good luck @Gio

 

[harms]

Everyone: Imagine how good Di Stefano and Pelé would've been if they were playing on modern pitches!
Šjor: Cuts the grass in a shape of a confused Chris Wilder's face.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

if you cant have the best team, make sure you have the best pitch.

 

[Gio]

All the best @Šjor Bepo

 

[Gio]

Re Beckenbauer/Wright. Although Wright led his defences, he was still a fairly typical English defender. And although he was a leader, his style of leadership was more leading by example with a respected, quieter and less egoistic manner. It seems fairly natural to me while McGrain is the right kind of full back on his other side - defensively solid to tuck in (with experience in the centre), but with the pace and passing to motor his legs or the ball up the line if needed. And Nilton is a cracking option for the Kaiser on the left hand side.

 

[Joga Bonito]

On paper it looks great with Maradona but not quite seeing it with Maradona and Best tbf. And whilst Puskas was a great CF for Real (insane goal record and all that- have used him there myself) it's a shame seeing him 'downgraded' from the SS slot from the previous matches where he looked to be in his element. And the Tigana-Kaiser midfield and Dasayev too . Might be a bit too harsh here, as i really loved the balance of that side, but would have reckoned upgrading Wright or McGrain might have been the way to go here. Needless to say I'm sure Sjor's back 3 would have hated facing Riva.

On Sjor's side - not a huge fan of the tactical swap. Although, I can see the rationale behind it with a rather centrally oriented attack from Gio and strengthening the channels with Maldini and Lahm against Gullit and Best. Plus I'd have figured Kante in a hounding role, with Robson in his peak in a supporting role would have been preferable against Maradona. Iniesta seems a tad bit overburdened with the ball carrying and transitioning duties. As it stands, was expecting a straight swap with Demyanenko coming in for Chislenko.

Open to hearing more from the managers.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

On Sjor's side - not a huge fan of the tactical swap. Although, I can see the rationale behind it with a rather centrally oriented attack from Gio and strengthening the channels with Maldini and Lahm against Gullit and Best. Plus I'd have figured Kante in a hounding role, with Robson in his peak in a supporting role would have been preferable against Maradona. Iniesta seems a tad bit overburdened with the ball carrying and transitioning duties. As it stands, was expecting a straight swap with Demyanenko coming in for Chislenko.

Could easily bluff it and say its a tactical move but change to this system had nothing to do with gio, personally prefer to change the team and system if possible and with the personnel i have i didnt have many options so when i found one system where most of the dots fit, went for it balls deep. Getting opponent that is a decent fit tactically was just pure luck, if you can call a team with those players
Regarding the players, Kante is in a hounding role even more so now with even more protection around(not that he needs it), Robbo IMO was tactically and technically better with age which is natural and his legs and passion where still there so id say defensive wise there is no question that the more mature Robbo is a better one(defensivelly), i lose goals but with Don and Pele i dont really need them + aim of the game is not go into a pissing contest with goal scoring, its to kill the game and score once or twice for the win.
Regarding Iniesta, plan is to defend as a unit and attack as a unit so that means both Pele and Don are there in terms of ball carrying and transitioning, not to forget both wingbacks.
Also check the link from the OP, it has some good offensive patterns which gives you the indication how the team should look when in possession.

 

[Gio]

@Joga Bonito For what it's worth there were limited options available with a very restricted pool (thanks Sjor you cnut) for upgrading Wright or McGrain. I'm happy with the latter in any case as he doesn't swallow up prime big country real estate, but still holds his own in this company. But the plan was always for Maradona to join Puskas and Best, otherwise I'd have used that Barcelona spot up with Romario when he was free round-after-round in the first draft.

Everyone will have their own personal ideal for maximising the use of certain GOATs. My job here is slightly different though as it's about maximising both that one player and the strength of the team in a cohesive manner. I do not believe that Puskas would see taking up the mantle as primary goalscorer as a 'step down', especially when serviced by Maradona, Best, Gullit and Beckenbauer. If anything, he'd relish having goalscoring primacy in such a stacked side. I've always seen him as an equally good 9 and 9.5, shown by his equally outstanding showings in Hungary and Spain, with his devastating left peg and relentless finishing ability his foremost weapon. After all, he averaged better than a goal per game for 20 years (see below). He's excelled alongside a free-spirited winger who roamed a lot more than Best in Czibor, and he dominated Europe despite jostling with Di Stefano who positionally and egotistically "clashed" with him more than Maradona would. Meanwhile I only see good things from Gullit as part of that attack. He can provide some of the presence that Kocsis did for Puskas - in the same way he serviced Van Basten - and he's a great target for both Best and Maradona when they go one of their mazy runs. When you look at the four-man attack, there are two players who can cut people open through dribbling - one through the centre and the other out wide - and two players who instinctively will often play it first time, be it through Puskas' finishing or Gullit's awareness, lay-offs or end product. Positionally they all have distinct roles and there is a wide spread of the heavy duty weaponry you want to unlock the best defences.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Re Beckenbauer/Wright. Although Wright led his defences, he was still a fairly typical English defender. And although he was a leader, his style of leadership was more leading by example with a respected, quieter and less egoistic manner. It seems fairly natural to me while McGrain is the right kind of full back on his other side - defensively solid to tuck in (with experience in the centre), but with the pace and passing to motor his legs or the ball up the line if needed. And Nilton is a cracking option for the Kaiser on the left hand side.

Tbh Wright leadership is the tinniest thorn, just dont see that team very open to Kaiser. Your both fullbacks have a lot to do attacking wise cause you have a very central based attack against a system that uses 10 players to defend and all of them are fantastic in that phase, add to that you have a double pivot without a holding midfielder with two b2b players and all of the sudden both Kaiser and Wright could end up very open on the counter and neither of them is particularly great in 1v1 situations.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Got to admit I'm jealous as feck that Gio has paired Maradona and Best together. It's just a gut feeling really, and I don't always like going down the psuedo-psychology rabbit-hole when it comes to these GOAT partnerships, but I tend to think they'd love playing together. Maradona has effusively praised Best before, and has been consistent about his admiration for flair players like Rivelino and Bochini as well as seeming to do well in terms of ego-managment and dividing responsibilities with Brindisi at Boca, who I believe was a huge star at the time. With Best, his most notable personality-clash was with Charlton, and it seems plausible enough to me that straight-peg types like Sir Bobby would be the ones he'd struggle to gel with personality-wise, not fellow entertainers/madmen like Diego. This is way past Best's prime, a 2nd dvision match and one that ended up more as an exhibition than a competitive match, but I love this video of Best and Rodney Marsh just taking the piss and enjoying their football:


Edging towards Gio, but as ever when things get this star-studded it's ard as feck to make up my mind, and there's loads to like about Sjor's inventive set up.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

@Pat_Mustard this time its not even the psuedo-psychology rabbit-hole i usually drop as i love that sort of thing, im sure both would love each other given one one was a drunk and other was a junky so would be a hell of a party but playing style they dont really match.
Both loved to be the main ball carrier and dribbler of the team, not to mention given the setup both would often occupy similar zones and add to that Puskas and even Gullit who will demand a ball fair share a bit, its just a bit too much for my liking and the team would be better with a much lesser player then Best but the one that will do the donkey work, recycle the ball and pretty much make the stage for Diego to shine or just go for another offensive player that is happy to play without the ball.

 

[Joga Bonito]

Regarding the players, Kante is in a hounding role even more so now with even more protection around(not that he needs it), Robbo IMO was tactically and technically better with age which is natural and his legs and passion where still there so id say defensive wise there is no question that the more mature Robbo is a better one(defensivelly), i lose goals but with Don and Pele i dont really need them + aim of the game is not go into a pissing contest with goal scoring, its to kill the game and score once or twice for the win.

Fair enough. Robson towards the late eighties definitely was the more tactically and technically accomplished version whilst losing some of his attacking impetus, but not necessarily his legs (the displays against Pool and Netherlands comes to mind). In a tight game where you plan to kill the game and hit back with Pele-di Stefano I guess it makes sense.

Everyone will have their own personal ideal for maximising the use of certain GOATs. My job here is slightly different though as it's about maximising both that one player and the strength of the team in a cohesive manner.

Definitely, it's a divisive and a subjective topic and I can see some seeing Best and Maradona telling together (like Pat) and others not so much.

I do not believe that Puskas would see taking up the mantle as primary goalscorer as a 'step down', especially when serviced by Maradona, Best, Gullit and Beckenbauer.

Well I guess that is the issue I have with it. Puskas was so much more than being just a goalscorer and in his SS version (Hungary & Honved) is very much creme of the crop and a top 10 GOAT imo. Whereas the CF version had lost some spring in his step and was more or less a phenomenal goalscorer. Even then I'm not sure how people will class that version of Puskas amongst other great CFs, probably in the second tier (after Müller, van Basten, Ronaldo and Romario). No shame in that and Maradona-Puskas is brilliant in itself and I have no issues with it but I would have preferred Puskas-Romario in your side.

That being said, you raised up a good point in Gullit playing a key role in potentially tying it all up together with his tremendous all round game and versatility.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

@Pat_Mustard this time its not even the psuedo-psychology rabbit-hole i usually drop as i love that sort of thing, im sure both would love each other given one one was a drunk and other was a junky so would be a hell of a party but playing style they dont really match.
Both loved to be the main ball carrier and dribbler of the team, not to mention given the setup both would often occupy similar zones and add to that Puskas and even Gullit who will demand a ball fair share a bit, its just a bit too much for my liking and the team would be better with a much lesser player then Best but the one that will do the donkey work, recycle the ball and pretty much make the stage for Diego to shine or just go for another offensive player that is happy to play without the ball.

I do appreciate your overall point too. I flip-flop a lot over these GOAT partnerships and see the rationale behind having some specialist donkey work and off-the-ball specialist there, but this one just seems to click for me. Out of possession Gullit is obviously a monster, Maradona seemed at least decent to me, and I've posted quite a bit before about Best's defensive instincts, although no-one has seemed to acknowledge that point ever. On the ball, I just don't know that much about Puskas but my instinct is that he'd be happy in that Romario role not doing that much in general play but providing a lethal finishing touch and Gullit just doesn't seem like a player that needed the ball at feet to the extent to make it problematic.

To me at all comes down to whether you see Maradona and Best elevating each other or getting in each others way, as supporting-cast wise it seems okay to me.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

That said, did Gullit appear on the RW often during this period @Gio ? I remember him more in this role later in his career for Sampdoria.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

I do appreciate your overall point too. I flip-flop a lot over these GOAT partnerships and see the rationale behind having some specialist donkey work and off-the-ball specialist there, but this one just seems to click for me. Out of possession Gullit is obviously a monster, Maradona seemed at least decent to me, and I've posted quite a bit before about Best's defensive instincts, although no-one has seemed to acknowledge that point ever. On the ball, I just don't know that much about Puskas but my instinct is that he'd be happy in that Romario role not doing that much in general play but providing a lethal finishing touch and Gullit just doesn't seem like a player that needed the ball at feet to the extent to make it problematic.

To me at all comes down to whether you see Maradona and Best elevating each other or getting in each others way, as supporting-cast wise it seems okay to me.

No issues defensive wise, both Best and Gullit worked hard.

 

[Synco]

Out of possession Gullit is obviously a monster, Maradona seemed at least decent to me, and I've posted quite a bit before about Best's defensive instincts, although no-one has seemed to acknowledge that point ever.

Hadn't seen you make that point so far, but I agree. There's a 1969 game against England on footballia, and he can be seen working hard defensively there. Not as consistently as an attacker under today's tactics would, but he's running, pressing, tackling throughout the game, and pretty aggressively so.

 

[Gio]

With Best, his most notable personality-clash was with Charlton, and it seems plausible enough to me that straight-peg types like Sir Bobby would be the ones he'd struggle to gel with personality-wise, not fellow entertainers/madmen like Diego.

Better than I could have put.

That said, did Gullit appear on the RW often during this period @Gio ? I remember him more in this role later in his career for Sampdoria.

On and off to be honest - not much as an outside-right. At PSV he seemed to play all over the shop, leading the line and also dropping into midfield and hurtling forward, and generally preferring the central and right channels. From what I've seen his main position was the right centre-forward in a two. At Milan as you'll know he was mostly more of a second striker, usually to the right of Van Basten, which isn't massively dissimilar to the role he has here. Interestingly his highest match ratings in Serie A came at Sampdoria where he split his time between a second striker and right wing role.

 

[Fortitude]

- Don't buy Gio's defense, really, but the massive caveat there is Beckenbauer up against Pele. Not to say they cancel each other out, but in a battle of wits and agility, Pele is going to have to work hard for opportunities, which in turn means the more distraction and support he has, the better, which is where Sjor's lack of attacking threats, especially with that version of Robson, proves problematic as Di Stefano and Iniesta have so much work to do given Kante is a non-entity in an offensive capacity (as well as having his hands full) and Robson can't really join the attack.

- Not sure I buy Best and Maradona in the same team. Best has a massive ego of his own, and the temptation to try and outdo Maradona, (unless he was seen as his equal) would be an issue, or certainly something I wouldn't throw out, even in a fantasy game because it's part of Best's personality and I would factor that in, even if building an xi of my own (actively picking only 1 from the pair for this reason). Another issue here is Best hasn't got much footage (that I've seen) which involves synergy, one-touch, or multi-touch and move plays - he's usually dead centre of the action, carrying the ball and doing something conclusive, or running onto something to finish it, but bouncing balls off of others and engaging in combination play, I don't see. Maradona's bread and butter outside of his individual brilliance is in this kind of South American play, so even with the best will in the world, could these two play off each other, even if they got on like a house on fire? Happy to be proven wrong on the one-touch and/or combination play of Best via footage.

- Sjor's wingbacks carry some attacking threat, but given the reliance on the midfield to retain the ball, or build up with it enough for them to get forward, they're not going to get many chances on goal in the game. In turn, both Pele and Di Stefano are going to be dropping deep to try and get the passing chains going as Gio's flanks won't allow clear runs down either side.

- Maradona has a lot of lethal threats in their own right around him individualistically - Gio's team don't need to play particularly well to be able to win the game in an instant, but his midfield is fluid and metronomic, which not only preoccupies Sjor's, but also multiplies the likelihood of Gullit, Puskas or Best having windows to exploit (by coming short) as Maradona is always going to prove a distraction in any game against any opposition.

- Sjor's defensive set up makes a lot of sense and there are a number of contests back there you can't call. Best never faced someone like Lahm (vice-versa is also apt) and Gullit vs Maldini must've been a humdinger in training whenever they went at it.

Puskas and Maradona right through the heart of the opposing side is always going to be testy - I don't think it matters whether you've got Puskas supporting the build-up or just latching onto passes as he's lethal either way. Amidst so much distraction they're primed to turn this game. It's the biggest difference between the sides for me - Pele and Di Stefano needed a comparable level of individualistic distraction to be an equal threat, imo.

For me, Gio's team is not without its faults, but Sjor's matchwinners are too few in number. Kante sticks out like a sore thumb as the one midfielder in either side who cannot do anything offensively (at this level) and he, for all the defensive work/contribution, is a spare part in a midfield where each player is going to have to hold their own and carry enough attacking threat as to need dealing with, which in turn gets the chains going and opens up space for those around them. I buy the energy of his team, but just as they have to work as a unit defensively, so too do they as an offensive one, and that's where he's [Kante] out of his depth in this company and a burden his teammates would have to compensate for, which is difficult when they all have their own hands tied by an equally dangerous opposing player.

 

[Fortitude]

A cool thing about this draft, for me, is that every team is incomplete because of the rules/conditions. It's like there needs to be more rounds to complete a team otherwise the weakest links stand out more and more as the reinforcements arrive and managers have to prioritise on whether they get the shiniest player and name, or actively balance their side and bring the bar from the bottom up.

Let's be honest, people are going to opt for the former nearly every time, which leaves weakest links in the teams and gives us the disparity in xi's that make the sides curious affairs.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

congrats @Gio , aim was to get at least 1 vote and i did that

 

[Šjor Bepo]

- Sjor's wingbacks carry some attacking threat, but given the reliance on the midfield to retain the ball, or build up with it enough for them to get forward, they're not going to get many chances on goal in the game. In turn, both Pele and Di Stefano are going to be dropping deep to try and get the passing chains going as Gio's flanks won't allow clear runs down either side.

but Sjor's matchwinners are too few in number. Kante sticks out like a sore thumb as the one midfielder in either side who cannot do anything offensively (at this level) and he, for all the defensive work/contribution, is a spare part in a midfield where each player is going to have to hold their own and carry enough attacking threat as to need dealing with, which in turn gets the chains going and opens up space for those around them. I buy the energy of his team, but just as they have to work as a unit defensively, so too do they as an offensive one, and that's where he's [Kante] out of his depth in this company and a burden his teammates would have to compensate for, which is difficult when they all have their own hands tied by an equally dangerous opposing player.

Tbf thats the system of Wilder, look at his team on paper and it doesnt work because you would find same issues as here(not enough goal-threat) and he is even worse situation as strikers are worst players he has in the team while here strikers are best players i have. To get back on point, his teams just work and the overlapping CB creates a much bigger issue then the overlapping FB in a back four and i reckon many somehow put the same weight on both.
Also amazed you said the team lacks matchwinners in numbers yet you have a offensive line of Iniesta, Di Stefano and Pele. Ok if you think tactically they dont work, have no issue with that but from the share number perspective its madness to even suggest that.

 

[Fortitude]

Tbf thats the system of Wilder, look at his team on paper and it doesnt work because you would find same issues as here(not enough goal-threat) and he is even worse situation as strikers are worst players he has in the team while here strikers are best players i have. To get back on point, his teams just work and the overlapping CB creates a much bigger issue then the overlapping FB in a back four and i reckon many somehow put the same weight on both.
Also amazed you said the team lacks matchwinners in numbers yet you have a offensive line of Iniesta, Di Stefano and Pele. Ok if you think tactically they dont work, have no issue with that but from the share number perspective its madness to even suggest that.

They were accounted for, as opposed to his certain 4 across the attack and possible 2 from deeper. I actually made a point of saying that the matchwinners you have need(ed) assistance from matchwinners you don't have (imo)

Just as we see in real football, top teams can have terrible games only for one of their matchwinners to pull a rabbit out of the hat. As the level goes up, it counts for a lot more than it does in the lesser rounds, even morseo because it's not their only way of turning a game, just the very threat needing to be catered for opens up room for others.

Someone like Kante running at the opposition, they'll be fine with and focus on the threats in the team, even openly inviting him to shoot or try the difficult pass. Kante is the obvious one to pick out here, but it's all scaled towards the gravitas of an individual and the very real threat he carries if not tended to at a given moment. If you have Robson in those same positions and someone else at the base, then the threat cannot be ignored or invited to shoot in the same way, I suppose further tilting that, if it's Charlton instead of Robson, then you have an immediate an imminent threat that has to be catered for posthaste, so the scaling goes up and down in accordance with what's out there.

Gio's also got a bunch of cunning grafters, so it's not like it's all focused on them winning a game solo, but also that in addition to that, they are bringing other things to the table. As stated previously, I don't think Gio's side is without fault, and I'm not keen on Best and Maradona in the same lineup, personally for the reasons stated, but even at base ends, Best works hard in both directions and is always a goal or assist threat, ditto Maradona.

 

[Gio]

congrats @Gio , aim was to get at least 1 vote and i did that

Nice set-up for what it's worth, I thought you'd go for a Hodgson-esque two banks of four tucked in behind the ball.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Nice set-up for what it's worth, I thought you'd go for a Hodgson-esque two banks of four tucked in behind the ball.

Cheers. Staying with 442 high press was probably the best move quality wise considering the personnel but adding just Demyanenko and maybe Oblak was just too boring option for my liking